Why your skin needs essential fatty acids

You may have heard that they’re essential to your general health, but what are essential fatty acids? And why are they so important for your skin in particular?
As a beauty writer, I was curious to learn more about the science of EFAs – from what exactly they do for our skin, to the best dietary and skin care sources. So, I spoke to the resident skin care scientist at Goodness, Kerry-Lee De Villiers, to find out the answers to these questions and more...
What are essential fatty acids?
“Essential fatty acids (EFAs) are beneficial components of fats that are required for the body to function optimally,” explains Kerry-Lee. Only two fatty acids are known to be vital for human health: alpha-linolenic acid (an omega-3 fatty acid) and linoleic acid (an omega-6 fatty acid). The body cannot naturally synthesise or produce EFAs, which means they need to be obtained from other sources, namely our diets and topically.
What is the function of omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids?
Both omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids play an important role in supporting essential bodily processes, such as circulation and cell metabolism. As Kerry-Lee explains, “omega-3s are anti-inflammatory, which helps the body protect itself from anything that probably shouldn’t be there (pathogens, irritants, etc).” Omega-6, on the other hand, encourages inflammation – which sounds bad, but, as Kerry-Lee explains, “is an important function of our immune system when at a healthy ratio”.
Why are essential fatty acids so important for healthy skin?
The two essential fatty acids are “vital for the healthy, everyday functioning of the human body,” says Kerry-Lee, and that includes the functioning of our skin. Not only do “They help keep the skin hydrated, strengthen the skin barrier and aid skin tissue restoration and rejuvenation,” says Kerry-Lee, some studies have even found that EFAs disrupt the production of melanin, “which would help reduce the appearance of age or sun spots”. Without adequate EFAs, our “skin may appear dry, dehydrated and dull,” says Kerry-Lee.
Thankfully, including EFAs in your diet needn’t be a difficult exercise (or hurt your hip pocket). The following foods are good sources of EFAs and readily available at the supermarket: Poultry, eggs, nuts, whole-grains, most vegetable oils, salmon, mackerel and dark leafy vegetables (such as broccoli and spinach).
Why are EFAs in skin care so important?
An EFA-rich diet is essential for overall health, but to promote a healthy, hydrated complexion, it’s also a good idea to include EFAs in your skin care regimen. “Topical application of omega-rich skin care products is likely to lead to a healthy skin appearance,” says Kerry-Lee. Goodness Certified Organic Chia Seed Oil is one such skin care product, formulated with a specific 3:1 ratio of omega-3 to omega-6. As Kerry-Lee explains, this ratio is key, as “omega-3 and omega-6 need to work together in as close to a balanced ratio as possible to optimise their beneficial effects”.
Not only does Goodness Certified Organic Chia Seed Oil contain the optimum ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 goodness, it’s also certified organic (BioGro NZ Ltd) with a cold-pressed extraction process. This means that the “chia seeds are mechanically pressed and never exposed to temperatures greater than 40 degrees celsius,” says Kerry-Lee, which helps prevent degradation to the main bioactive components, including the EFAs. “Oils that are cold pressed are also more resistant to oxidative stress,” says Kerry-Lee, which means they are more stable and have a longer shelf life. The end result? A lightweight facial oil that is packed full of nourishing EFAs, to help deliver anti-inflammatory support, hydration and nourishment to the skin.
Is your skin getting enough EFAs? Have you tried Goodness Certified Organic Seed Oil?
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94 Member Comments
I knew EFA''s were good for everyday health, but never knew they were good for skin! Thankyou!
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Oh, if anyone is interested, there is a fabulous book by Karen Fischer of Looney Tunes fame called The Healthy Skin Diet.
It is filled with great tips and recipes for people suffering with: rosacea, psoriasis, eczema, acne etc.
Highly recommend it!
xx
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EFAs along with lycopene and beta carotenes are great for your skin..
The latter two offer slow down the rate of your skin burning due to sun exposure.
Slap on some SPF, wear UPF clothing and down smoothies made with papaya/pumpkin/sweet potato and chia seed and hemp.
Get your lycopene through a delicious cooked tomato sauce!
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Make smoothies with chia seeds and hemp seeds thrown in.
Both can be purchased from Costco for an absolute steal!
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I have tried their facial cleanser and it was ok.
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I don't think it has but recently I have been incorporating skin oils into my routine and can see a big difference.
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Nice products with very effective ingredients for healthy looking skin
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I haven't used this brand before.
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I haven't heard of this brand before.
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This Chia seed oil is beautiful. I use it inbetween using Rosehip oil. My skin drinks it up!
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I have used Goodness Certified Organic Seed Oil and it was great. For my dry and mature skin, I have not seen one type of facial oil to give better results than another e.g. rosehip, argan, marula, chia oil etc - my face seems to like all of them.
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I'm looking forward to using the Goodness samples
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Another encore article. My dry skin loves oil but I prefer to take fish oil
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I've been curious about Goodness and hope to get around to trying it soon, but always good to have a more in-depth read about one of their products and ingredients.
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Interesting article, thank you!
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Just got some Goodness samples in the Beautorium pack so looking forward to trying them.
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A very informative article. I'm including a lot of EFAs in my diet so no wonder my skin is looking good.
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I love this article.. informative and useful.. For those who want a very high grade rose hip oil.. google " samuel gravan rose hip oil " - The brand talks about the various processes of extraction and grades of oil.. a bit like virgin olive oil vs regular etc.. I am using the vetiver night oil but not the rose hip yet
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great article, its great to feed your skin from the inside, fatty fish like salmon helps skin as does avocados and nuts
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Thanks for the good article. It looks as if I am on track with my diet as I love chicken, turkey, eggs, nuts and whole grains. The result of reducing the appearance of age spots is a big bonus too.
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I eat lots of chicken, sounds like that is a good thing for my skin! I did use rosehip oil on my face for a while but have stopped... am now considering using it again.
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I love facial oils. I use them for cleansing and moisturizing my 61 year old skin. I mostly use rose-hip oil and also Miracle Oil from Pure Romance. Although I consume Chia seeds and I'm a fan of the health benefits of oral Omega 3, I have not considered using Chia seed oil as a topical oil. I'll be checking it out and seeing what other products this Goodness brand has.
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Never knew they were so essential for good skin
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I've used this brand of chia seed oil and it was lovely for my dry skin - but my skin responds well to all facial oils.
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A great read, thanks BH.
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